Is anyone else a left-hander playing right-handed?

Joined
Jul 3, 2015
Messages
141
Location
Brentwood, Essex
Visit site
Left handed but play golf right handed mainly as I played hockey for years. Have had a few funny looks at lessons when I've been asked to throw a ball right handed using the skimming a stone analogy and just been hopeless at it with my right hand. Just can't do it with any real malice with my right hand
 

sunshine

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 17, 2018
Messages
5,046
Visit site
Left handed but play golf right handed mainly as I played hockey for years. Have had a few funny looks at lessons when I've been asked to throw a ball right handed using the skimming a stone analogy and just been hopeless at it with my right hand. Just can't do it with any real malice with my right hand

I've never played hockey in my life, but I understand you can only play right handed. Does this disadvantage "standard" left handed people?
 
Joined
Jul 3, 2015
Messages
141
Location
Brentwood, Essex
Visit site
I've never played hockey in my life, but I understand you can only play right handed. Does this disadvantage "standard" left handed people?
I actually found it a strength in a lot of ways. Played left back and was naturally a lot stronger on what would traditionally be the weaker side for a regular right handed player. Guess because I started so young I knew no different?
 

DannyOT

Assistant Pro
Joined
Aug 10, 2011
Messages
311
Location
Manchester, UK
Visit site
This is because you're right eye dominant.

If you point at something in the distance and close your left eye, your finger probably won't move. But if you shut your right eye, you'll see your finger "jump" to the right substantially. For shooting and snooker, the sight lines down the cue/gun are more important than the handedness.

Yeah, definitely right eye dominant. I was told that's why I was way off when shooting, as I was right eye dominant but kept closing my right eye when shooting!
 

SurreyGolfer

Active member
Joined
Jul 21, 2021
Messages
192
Visit site
So a little update to this thread, I had a my latest lesson yesterday and it resulted in a bit of an (embarrassing) epiphany moment as a direct result of this thread.

Long story short I'm left-handed but playing right handed and hit the ball either straight or right, never left. Once I told him that I feel like my left hand does 99% of the swing with my right hand just along for the ride, it all start to make sense, we made some tweaks around consciously getting the right side/arm/hand involved in the downswing and things straightened up almost immediately, my swing plane improved and distance improved, I even hit the odd draw! The extreme example he used is that I was essentially trying to play a one-handed cover drive, rather a tennis forehand, so no wonder things were going right! Hope that makes sense.

Anyway despite the embarrassment and the dawning realisation that 'oh yeah, of course I should be using both arms to swing the club', I just wanted to say thanks to the creator of this thread as without it I wouldn't have talked about it with my pro. Thankyou!
 

Miller

Active member
Joined
Jul 26, 2021
Messages
136
Location
Wokingham, Berkshire
Visit site
You're more than welcome. When I started this thread, I had no idea that my situation was a well-known thing. The advice here has helped me (and my confidence in knowing I'm not a complete weirdo).

Thank you to all who have contributed.
 

Orikoru

Tour Winner
Joined
Nov 1, 2016
Messages
25,170
Location
Watford
Visit site
I'm about as right-handed as they come. My left hand/arm is practically useless on it's own. I do absolutely everything right-handed. If I so much as take a drink with my left hand I'm worried I'm going to spill it. :LOL:
 

Miller

Active member
Joined
Jul 26, 2021
Messages
136
Location
Wokingham, Berkshire
Visit site
It's always amazed me how right-handed people are perfectly happy to use a fork in their left hand for dinner and a spoon in their right hand for dessert for doing exactly the same job (putting food in your gob) and don't think it's a weird thing to do.
 

sunshine

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 17, 2018
Messages
5,046
Visit site
I'm about as right-handed as they come. My left hand/arm is practically useless on it's own. I do absolutely everything right-handed. If I so much as take a drink with my left hand I'm worried I'm going to spill it. :LOL:

That's cos you're right handed. If you were left handed, you'd have learnt to use your weaker hand better because so many every day things are designed for right handed people. Even simple things like using scissors or opening a jar.

My current irritation is having to double click my iphone to use apple pay. If I'm holding the phone in my left hand I can't click the side button, I end up having to hold it in both hands which then obscures the camera and blocks the facial recognition. :confused:
 

sunshine

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 17, 2018
Messages
5,046
Visit site
You're more than welcome. When I started this thread, I had no idea that my situation was a well-known thing. The advice here has helped me (and my confidence in knowing I'm not a complete weirdo).

Thank you to all who have contributed.

You are not alone. Maybe we need to raise awareness for CLWPSR (Confused Left-handers who play sport Right-handed). Society is deeply biased against us. How about an international day of CLWSPR visibility, with marches and rallies in major cities. I was going to suggest a wristband, but that is so 2005.
 

Orikoru

Tour Winner
Joined
Nov 1, 2016
Messages
25,170
Location
Watford
Visit site
That's cos you're right handed. If you were left handed, you'd have learnt to use your weaker hand better because so many every day things are designed for right handed people. Even simple things like using scissors or opening a jar.

My current irritation is having to double click my iphone to use apple pay. If I'm holding the phone in my left hand I can't click the side button, I end up having to hold it in both hands which then obscures the camera and blocks the facial recognition. :confused:
I agree, but some in this thread were saying they're right-handed but left-handed for some things etc. I guess you're saying that deep down those people are intrinsically left-handed but have just adapted inadvertently in some tasks.
 

sunshine

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 17, 2018
Messages
5,046
Visit site
I agree, but some in this thread were saying they're right-handed but left-handed for some things etc. I guess you're saying that deep down those people are intrinsically left-handed but have just adapted inadvertently in some tasks.

Yep exactly
 

Carlwm

Active member
Joined
Sep 21, 2021
Messages
147
Visit site
I agree, but some in this thread were saying they're right-handed but left-handed for some things etc. I guess you're saying that deep down those people are intrinsically left-handed but have just adapted inadvertently in some tasks.

I've just gone whatever's felt natural. Golf feels natural right-handed, other things - throwing, kicking, musical instruments etc feel natural left-handed. Never given any thought to which way around until I've initially tried something. Recently taken up the fiddle, for example but couldn't handle a normal one at all. Had to buy a left-handed one.
 

Orikoru

Tour Winner
Joined
Nov 1, 2016
Messages
25,170
Location
Watford
Visit site
I've just gone whatever's felt natural. Golf feels natural right-handed, other things - throwing, kicking, musical instruments etc feel natural left-handed. Never given any thought to which way around until I've initially tried something. Recently taken up the fiddle, for example but couldn't handle a normal one at all. Had to buy a left-handed one.
Guitar has always confused me, I play it the normal right-handed why, but I always wondered why it seems that your weaker hand does the difficult fiddly stuff and your strong hand pretty much just keeps rhythm.
 

Carlwm

Active member
Joined
Sep 21, 2021
Messages
147
Visit site
Guitar has always confused me, I play it the normal right-handed why, but I always wondered why it seems that your weaker hand does the difficult fiddly stuff and your strong hand pretty much just keeps rhythm.

That's always been a head scratcher for me too. Maybe keeping rhythm and picking (not that I can do much of that!) are really the difficult bits, especially if you're a three chord thrasher like me. :)
 

wezmcc

New member
Joined
Jul 30, 2023
Messages
1
Visit site
So glad it's a thing.... left hand and eye dominant but struggle to release the club (right handed) and block/push with a snap hook involved?
I'm always conscious of which should/ is the dominant side..... I have issues big-time with it
 

Alan Clifford

Active member
Joined
Aug 13, 2020
Messages
790
Location
-33.075264, 18.053554
Visit site
My handedness is a tad odd I think. We have saucepans with pouring spouts - the spouts are on the wrong side; I deal playing cards with my left hand (I can do it the other way); if I were picking up, say, pins or picking buttons out of a box, I'd use my left hand.

I have injured my left knee and have given up with the driver. I know I can putt left handed so was wondering about trying a left handed driver to take the stress off the leading leg.
 

Surreyboy

New member
Joined
Jul 27, 2023
Messages
18
Visit site
I am about as left handed as it gets, couldn't throw a ball 10 meters right handed.

But play golf "right handed". Although not sure why it is considered right handed, when my left arm does all the work in the swing, your right arm is basically just along for the ride in a "right handed" swing.
 
Top